[House  Bill.  No.  11.] 


.  / 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENT ATIVES.^MayJi  1864— Read  first 

and  second  times,  and  referred  to  Judioiiwy-^Jomrnittee.     May  12th, 
3  864 — Reported  back  favorably,  with  amendments,  and  ordered  to     «' 
be  placed  on  Calendar  and  jyinted. 

[By  Mr.  Dupre.] 


A   BILL 

To  jprovidefor  the  sttilement  of  Claims  for  Property  ilhgnlly  imiiressed  in 
the  Trans- Mississippi  Department. 

Section  1.    The   Congress  of  the  Confederate  States   do  enact, 

2  Tkat  the  agent  of  the  Treasury  for  the  Trans-Mississippi  Depart- 

3  ment  be  directed  to  audit  and  pay  all  claims  against  the  govern- 

4  ment  for  property  illegally  and  irregularly  impressed  in  that  de- 

5  partment,  but  which  was  used  for  the  maintenance  of  the  troopp 
G  therein,  whenever  the  officer  making  the  impressment  did  not 

7  comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  second  and 'third  sections  of 

8  the  "act  to  regulate  impressments,"  approved  the  27th  of  March 

9  1863,    by  failing   to  furnish   the  owner  the  certificate   requiied 

10  therein,  and  to  pay  the  value  of  the  property,  for  any  cause  what- 

11  soever. 

Sec.  2.   That  in  any  of  the  cases  provided  for  in  the  preceding 
5  section,  the  owner  of  the  property  impressed  shall  furnish  to  the 

3  said  agent  of  the  Treasury  a  list  of  the  property  impressed,  sworn 

4  to  by  him,  and  supported  by  the  testimony  under  oath  of  two 

5  disinterested  witnesses,  residing  in  the  town,  city,  county  or  parish 


2.  .     "' 

6  where  the   property  was   impressed ;  one  to  be  chosen   by  the 

7  owner,  and  the  other  for  the  government ;  to  be  chosen  by  the 

8  nearest  post  quartermaster,  commissary  or  provost  marshal  of  the 

9  place  where  the  impressment  was  made,  who  shall  certify  the 

10  correctness  of  the  said  list,  and  determine  the  value  of  the  said  pro- 

11  perty,  unless  the  same  had  been  fixed  by  the  board  of  commis- 

12  sioners  appointed  for  each  state,  as  provided  for  in  the  fifth  section 

13  of  the  aforesaid  act  to  regulate  impressments:  and  further,  in  all 

14  cases  of  disagreement  between  the  persons  so  chosen  for  the  pro- 

15  perty  aforesaid,  the  two  shall  select  an  umpire,  who  shall  decide 

16  finally  upon  their  difierence. 

Sec.  3.    Should  there  be  no  post  quartermaster,  commissary 

2  or  provost  marshal  in  the  county  or  parish  where  the  impressment 

3  was   made,  then  the  person  to  be  chosen  as  aforesaid  for   the 

4  government  shall  be  selected  by  the  nearest  judge  of  a  Court  of 

5  Record  of  the  State  or  of  the  Confederate  States,  justices  of  the 

6  peace  excepted. 


AMENDMENTS 

Proposed  by  the   Committee  to  the  bill  to  provide  for' the  Settlement  of 

Claims,  ^c. 

Section  2.  Strike  out  the  words  "  or  provost  marshal"  and 
2  insert  "or"  before  "commissary." 

Sec.  3.  Strike  out  all  after  word  "  nearest,"  and  insert  "  dis- 
2  trict  or  circuit  judge  of  the  State  or  of  the  Confederate  States." 


